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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28026825">Moments With You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sykilik101/pseuds/sykilik101'>sykilik101</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:47:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,053</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28026825</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sykilik101/pseuds/sykilik101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The little instances, the smiles and the way you look at me; these are the things that stay with me, and these are the reasons I slowly fell for you. OneShot Pokeshipping</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kasumi | Misty/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Moments With You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The idea of Ash having feelings for Misty early on would have made a lot more moments more interesting, IMO. That was kind of the idea for this fic, but more than anything, I just wanted to write a snippets-style fic as opposed to the long piece of prose style of fic that I usually write. Hopefully you all enjoy this one.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There’s no such thing as coincidence. I don’t believe for a second anyone else besides her was supposed to be there that day. Fishing <i>and</i> owning a bike that just happened to have a Pikachu-sized basket?</p>
<p>We were meant to meet.</p>
<p>
  <b>*****</b>
</p>
<p>“Sorry I’m late!”</p>
<p>We’d already been traveling together for a few months now, and I’d gotten a pretty good idea of who Misty was. Quick to anger, an unwavering sense of right and wrong, and a love of water Pokémon that even I couldn’t hope to match. We were past the point of simple acquaintances and could now be considered friends, but there were sides to Misty I had yet to learn about.</p>
<p>One of those was her with her hair down.</p>
<p>Her voice pulled me from my PokéDex, a speechlessness overtaking me as Pikachu’s gleeful exclamation blended with the music and crowd. Everything in the background was blurry from the lantern smoke and lights, but Misty standing in her pink kimono, fan in hand, was immediately seared into my mind. For a second I was reminded of when I’d seen Giselle at that Pokémon Tech place we’d visited; she was pretty in that “make my face warm” way. I’d never gotten that feeling from Misty before, but now-</p>
<p>“Come on, Ash, let’s dance!”</p>
<p>Her hand found its way into mine, and a dizzying warmth accompanied the softness of her fingers. My voice trembled a bit as I agreed, and with her extended invitation to Pikachu I couldn’t help but laugh. She pulled me onto the dance floor with an infectious jubilance that suited her better than I could have thought. It was the first time that the two of us, together, whittled the hours away in the company of food, dancing, and a budding best friendship.</p>
<p>That was also the first time I felt soon-to-be-familiar nerves in my stomach around her.</p>
<p>
  <b>*****</b>
</p>
<p>“Okay.”</p>
<p>“Right.”</p>
<p>Traveling through a foggy forest towards a town that was supposedly home to ghost Pokémon didn’t have the same energy as “summer festival,” but at least I was holding Misty’s hand again. It was Brock’s idea, which was the perfect excuse for me to hold hers for longer than a few seconds. Even with my glove in the way, the tips of my fingers pressed into her skin, and I felt an abnormal heat surge through my cheeks. I wondered if I could convince the others that we should come through this forest on the way back.</p>
<p>I’d held out my hand to Brock so he wouldn’t get lost; leave it to him to grab Pikachu’s tail and ruin the moment.</p>
<p>
  <b>*****</b>
</p>
<p>“What are you two doing <i>here</i>?”</p>
<p>At this stage of our friendship, it was easier to hide any displays of enamorment behind a curt answer or a crude decision. I’d had enough practice with starting arguments after being caught staring, but I still hadn’t gotten many opportunities to compliment her while maintaining plausible deniability. It was next to impossible to say something like “Your eyes are pretty” inconspicuously, so any chance I could get to say something about her, even hidden behind sarcasm or jokes, was something I wouldn’t let go to waste.</p>
<p>I wasn’t sure why Misty even agreed to help Melvin out in the first place. Misty’s not an especially kind person, so agreeing to be some magician's assistant, in a Goldeen dress of all things, would definitely be high on my “things Misty would never do” list. Despite that, I couldn’t help but think that she looked really...<i>really</i> pretty. Like, “the Maiden’s Peak festival” pretty, but this time, I wanted to tell her. Hiding a compliment behind an annoying tone sounded like a good idea, and since starting an argument with her was easiest when she was in a flustered state, this was the perfect cover for me to say-</p>
<p>“That’s a real cute outfit, Misty.”</p>
<p>Surprisingly, I managed to keep a straight face and not stutter my words, despite inexperience threatening to wipe away the snarky tone I was going for. I was ready for the verbal retaliation she was famous for, but the sudden complaints of the audience demanding a show was a welcomed distraction. Taking a front row seat I savored the feeling of victory at having been able to call Misty cute and <i>not</i> end up with her mallet on my head.</p>
<p>It’s too bad she didn’t put her hair down for the outfit, though...</p>
<p>
  <b>*****</b>
</p>
<p>Every story I’ve heard of mermaids says that they’re always extremely beautiful. Mermaids probably aren’t real, but I think Misty is making me a believer.</p>
<p>
  <b>*****</b>
</p>
<p>“Careful, Ash, all that food can make your belly as big as your head.”</p>
<p>I like that we’re now at the point where her teasing comments are all in good fun. Of course, even if it wasn’t, nothing was gonna bring my mood down. I’d already won my first two rounds, and I even got to eat for free thanks to a fan of mine. After having not had a meal for the entire day, all Pikachu and I wanted was to dig in.</p>
<p>Misty’s company wasn’t unwelcomed, either.</p>
<p>I wanted to answer her, but she happened to catch me mid-chew. My response was automatic and ready, but before I swallowed, a thought came to me. It was a nickname I’d thought about before, and I’d never found the right moment (or courage) to try it out. However, my post-battle elation made my worries feel insignificant, and I figured even if she didn’t like it, I could brush it off as me just being too happy about my success to care.</p>
<p>“Thanks, Mist, but I can’t help it! I got all this food for free! That’s ‘cause she happens to be a big fan of mine!”</p>
<p><i>Mist</i>. I like the way it sounds, and the fact that she didn’t immediately get that Misty eye twitch means she didn’t dislike it. Although, maybe it’s ‘cause I’m so used to calling her Misty, but Mist feels a bit...awkward. Almost like how you’d call your girlfriend a cute nickname.</p>
<p>...Misty as my girlfriend...</p>
<p>“Ash, everybody in the Pokémon League gets to eat here for free.”</p>
<p>So much for the fan of mine. I think, maybe, I’ll keep Mist in my back pocket for future use, when it feels right to give her such a cute nickname.</p>
<p>
  <b>*****</b>
</p>
<p>“You’re crazy!”</p>
<p>“Crazy is right! Never in a million years!”</p>
<p>She didn’t have to deny it <i>that</i> hard...</p>
<p>
  <b>*****</b>
</p>
<p>“You and I will be married someday, too.”</p>
<p>“Mhm…”</p>
<p>I didn’t really register what Misty had said right away. My thoughts were more focused on how we were going to stay overnight in this park and hearing this girl - Temacu, was it? - talk about marrying Brock. For some reason I half-expected Brock to be going along with her imagination; after all, wasn’t he always talking about cute girls and how he’d want to be with them? Did he not consider Temacu cute? Maybe he just doesn’t want to marry her right after meeting her. I guess that makes sense. It would be kinda weird to want to marry someone if you’re not in-</p>
<p>...wait, her and I, married?</p>
<p>“Huh?!”</p>
<p>I recognized that look in her eyes. Throughout our travels, anytime Misty messed up or said something she didn’t mean to, her eyes always did that same thing; I could practically hear her screaming “I didn’t say anything!” in her head.</p>
<p>The thing is, she <i>did</i> say it, and my brain started spinning all sorts of ideas on what she was implying by that. She could have just meant, in the future, I’d be married and she’d be married, but not to each other. That’d probably be just what she’d say if I brought it up. But...what if she was actually thinking that her and I would be married to each other? Was that something Misty thought about? Would she want to marry me?</p>
<p>Temacu’s dad showed up, and after some talking we were invited to stay at their house instead of the park. I should have been more excited at being able to sleep in a bed instead of my sleeping bag, but Misty’s response kept replaying in my mind. Even if her words hadn’t registered to me right away, her voice had been calm with a bit of that daydreamy tone she used once in a while. I couldn’t remember her sounding like that when talking about me.</p>
<p>Having packed our camping gear back up, our group began heading into the town. Brock and Temacu lead the way, with her dad shortly behind, and Misty and I bringing up the rear. As we walked I stole a glance at her from the corner of my eye. She seemed lost in a thought, her hands absentmindedly rocking Togepi to and fro as the little Pokémon looked on the brink of a nap. Eventually her gaze caught mine and she turned towards me.</p>
<p>“Is something the matter, Ash?”</p>
<p>I could ask her right now. With the others ahead of us, we had the privacy to have such a conversation. It wasn’t a hard question at all. <i>Were you really thinking about us two being married together?</i> My mouth started to open, but something about the way she looked at me held my voice back. If I was wrong, it would just end in another argument, which would fit the status quo between her and I like usual.</p>
<p>But, deep down, I think I couldn’t handle the idea of us fighting about marrying each other.</p>
<p>I needed more time to see how she felt about me. I’d spent enough time with an erratic heartbeat around her to know where I stood, but something about not knowing how she felt about <i>this</i> scared me enough to close my mouth, turning back towards the others.</p>
<p>“It’s nothing.”</p>
<p>Maybe her and I would be married someday. First, however, I needed to find out if she even liked me the way I liked her.</p>
<p>
  <b>*****</b>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Will I...see you again?”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“You will. I swear.”</i>
</p>
<p>The dirt was quieter now, disturbed by two feet rather than six. The road from Viridian City to Pallet Town was familiar to me; the loneliness wasn’t. The tears had subsided, but the ache in my chest was still as strong as ever as I slowly trekked down the dusty road.</p>
<p>I’d been ready to tell her. The mood had been perfect, if a bit more somber than I would have hoped for. Shades of purple and orange painted the sky, the sunset burning to match her hair. There was no hint of teasing or malice in the air, and the bike stationed by her side felt nostalgic; it made me think of how far we’d come since the first time I’d taken it from her. That time together, however, had come to an end, as a phone call from her sisters had sent us our separate ways.</p>
<p>However, it wouldn’t last forever.</p>
<p>The handkerchief felt soft in my hands, wrapped around the bento Brock had given me. The corners were tied up perfect and sweetly, as if she’d done this for me a million times before. Her fingers had moved so effortlessly to fold the cloth, knot it tightly before offering it to me. What she’d really given me wasn’t just tangible, and I think we both knew that. I know I can be a little dense, and I usually let my optimism take over when I’m unsure of something, but I think I got the message pretty clearly this time. In that moment, I could see exactly what I was looking for in Misty’s eyes. Even if I hadn’t said anything, I felt like she knew what I wanted to tell her.</p>
<p>There was something she wanted to tell me, too.</p>
<p>My heart, still deflated, skipped as a flush clawed its way up my face. I could be crazy and wrong on a million levels, but I’m pretty sure she feels the same way. Even if I’m either, or both...I can tell her now. Maybe I don’t need a perfect moment or the right words, but I’ll be ready when I see her again. She’d found her way into my life once before, and she’ll do it again.</p>
<p>After all, there’s no such thing as coincidence.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So fun fact: I normally obsess HEAVILY about sticking as close to the canon as possible with regards to character personalities and events (not including, y’know, the romantic parts). However, for this fic, I decided to loosen the leash on myself and get slightly more self-indulgent with some things; namely, how I wanted to write Ash, using words or such that I normally wouldn’t. Hopefully you still enjoyed this all the same.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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